The wonders of the worldwide web

They will begin their relationship with you by checking out your reputation - in depth. The worldwide web may be a wonderful thing, but it means that all our businesses are essentially transparent. Even if we as employers don't put that much information on our corporate website there is someone, somewhere, who can be relied on to know all about us (or to provide their highly personalised version), and where prospective candidates - and curious employees who need more information than management wants to give - can get the low-down. Executive search professionals will tell you that in today's information-overloaded world, many candidates just say ˜no' on the basis of checking out a website. If they don't like how the company looks then that is as far as they'll go.

Get your website right

So I suppose the first point of contact in getting people engaged is holding their attention for a while. And this means that your external website, and the hard copy materials with which you support it, need to be geared toward the types of people you want to attract : a corporate version of the age-old mating dance . Put it this way, go look at some internet sites and you will quickly see what I mean. Some are turn-offs, some are turn -ons, and many are obviously the personal hobby of some freak in the IT department.

I used to advise managers to call their company's main switchboard number when they were out of town to see what the welcome was like. That was the first point of contact with the firm. Now go check out your website, because that is where prospective employees begin. From the appearance of some of them it is clear no senior manager has clicked on for some time.

And really think through who you are trying to reach. If you are an insurance firm there probably isn't much point getting too far out. If you are in new media, well ˜just do it' as they say. But never forget that you need to leave an impression of your business and the kinds of people who would feel welcome in that environment. You don't get a second chance with this.

Just assume that by the time you get to meet any candidate they'll know a lot more about you than any job seeker would have even five years ago. The bright ones will have done their research almost as well as a Wall Street analyst.